Call your Senators and demand that they enforce the McConnell Standard for nominating Supreme Court Justices.

You have no doubt heard the news about Justice Anthony Kennedy’s retirement from the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS).

You are no doubt unsurprised that Team Trump and the GOP-controlled Congress have stated intentions to push the SCOTUS nomination through in the fall.

You are no doubt aware of why this is an utterly bullshit move. Senator Mitch McConnell refused to allow a hearing on the nomination of Merrick Garland to fill the seat left open by the February 2016 death of Antonin Scalia. McConnell made the ridiculous claim that it was improper to consider a nomination in an election year.

McConnell successfully kept the seat open until well after the election. The new administration chose a ridiculously hard-right judge who has wreaked more than his share of havoc already.

We can fight this, and we will fight this.

Step one is calling your Senators (just your Senators, because only Senators hear and vote on SCOTUS nominations) and demanding that McConnell follow the precedent that he himself set out.

If nominating Merrick Garland 237 days before an election was too close for McConnell’s comfort, we should certainly hold off considering a replacement for Justice Kennedy, who announced his retirement just 132 days before the 2018 elections.

Also consider that since the first day of his term of office, polls have shown that Trump has never had positive public approval numbers–never, not once, not even for one lousy day.

Add to this the fact that Trump is actively under investigation by Special Counsel Robert Mueller and could well be charged with obstruction of justice.

The case for waiting now is far, far stronger than the case for waiting in 2016.

And! You will no doubt be entirely unsurprised to learn that Celeste Pewter (follow her on Twitter at @Celeste_Pewter) has a script for this (scroll down to learn more ways to support her work):

If Democrats are to take control of the Senate–which will, admittedly, be tough–we need to defend all Senators who are up for re-election and we need to win at least two more seats besides.

Celeste Pewter was all over this ages ago, with The Road to 2018, which was created to defend the incumbent Senators who need it most.

She’s recommending an iteration of the Core Four strategy–pick at least one Democratic incumbent Senator and one Democratic challenger for a Senate seat, and devote yourself to them. Give them money. Volunteer. Canvass. Phone-bank. And recruit friends and family to do the same.